Leuchtturm1917 Journals
The Standard Bullet Journal Everyone Uses
I recently found my way back to a Leuchtturm journal after bouncing around a few different brands and types of notebooks for a while. I even stopped a journal completely during my family’s recent cross-country move because I needed to focus on planning and to-do lists in my planner. However, it was time to move back into a notebook. As soon as I received my Leuchtturm in the mail, I remembered why I loved these notebooks for so long. When I first started bullet journaling in 2017, I was drawn to these notebooks because everyone said these were the “holy grail” bullet journaling notebooks. After years of poking around journals and trying to understand some of the lingo, I get the positives and some drawbacks of this style of notebook. This post is a review of the A5 notebook from Leuchtturm1917. It is set up in a Q&A format, and then you can take a peek at some of my Leuchtturm journals from over the years.
My current notebook-Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dotted in Pacific Green
Product Q & A
How do you pronounce the name of this notebook?
I always in my head call them “Luke-terms,” but the video will you show you how to say the name correctly.
Where does the name LEUCHTTURM1917 come from?
From the website:
“Leuchtturm”, which is German for “lighthouse” comes from Leuchtturm Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG. The name reflects the fact that the LEUCHTTURM Gruppe is a traditional, family-run company upholding Hanseatic values in northern Germany. “1917” is the year in which the company was established.”
What material is used to bind LEUCHTTURM1917 notebooks?
Synthetic leather
A note about the covers of the Leuchtturm journals: They are very thin. This is a good thing! Not only does the journal feel lightweight when I put it in my bag, but it also lays flat when I open it to write. When I was writing last night in bed, the covers are pliable and fall open. Sometimes with other sizes I am wrestling the covers and use the closure to hold open pages. You don’t need to do this with these notebooks.
What are the LEUCHTTURM1917 details?
Table of contents-first two pages (I often use these pages for pen swatches or marker swatches, not for keeping track of spreads, layouts, or collections)
Page numbers on each page in the bottom corner
80 gsm (More about the paper later)
Perforated sheets at the back of each notebook
2 bookmarks
Expandable pocket on the inside back cover
Stickers for archiving and labeling
24 colors
4 formats/sizes
4 ruling options (lined, squared, dotted, plain)
Table of contents (My marker or pen swatch pages)
Dotted pages (They also offer lined, plain, and squared. If I can’t find dotted, I will choose squared for more structure.
Two bookmarks. One with striped details, one plain.
Back pocket for keeping items. I often keep photos back here or stickers to use.
Pen loops and pen. Both are from Leuchtturm.
What Leuchtturm products have you tried?
A5 notebooks in dotted and squared
B5 notebook softcover
A6 pocket notebook size in dotted
Adhesive pen loops
Drehgriffel ballpoint pen with royal blue ink
My favorite products by far are the pen loops and A5 journals. I love the pen loops! The planners that I love don’t yet come with pen loops, and I will buy Leuchtturm pen loops separately to stick on to planners or other notebooks that need a pen loop. A pen loop is a must for me.
I recently tried to Drehgriffel pen because it looked so fancy. Even though I love how it feels in my hand, it writes very similarly to a standard ballpoint pen. I like that it is compact, but I don’t know if everyone will splurge on a matching pen for their notebook knowing the variety of colors available in notebooks.
How does 80-100 gsm paper hold up to a pen test?
When I first started journaling, I didn’t understand the big deal with paperweights. GSM=Grams per Square Meter. The higher the number, the thicker the paper.
Newsprint is 45-50 gsm
Standard copy paper is 70-80 gsm
Leuchtturm journals are 80-100 gsm
Leuchtturm journals are also offered in 120gsm as a separate line
Some other journal brands are 160gsm+
Cardstock and drawing paper are 180-260 gsm
So, the question everyone wants to know is will there be ghosting? Ghosting is when you are able to see through to the other side.
The answer is yes. However, I find that you get more pages in your notebook, and these notebooks feel more like writing in a composition notebook but are easier to carry around.
I have been playing with fountain pen inks lately, so I tried out some swatches in my new notebook. There is visible ghosting. This is going to be a matter of personal preference for your notebook use. I tend to write more in my notebooks rather than draw, paint, or sketch. Therefore, I am fine with ghosting to get a superior writing experience.
Front of fountain pen test.
Back of fountain pen test. Visible ghosting.
My Leuchtturm Journals At-A-Glance
Colors:
Black
Yellow
Bellini
Red
Port Red
Gray
Paper Styles:
Dot
Squared
The Bottom Line
If you haven’t ever used a Leuchtturm journal before, you need to. They are standard in the bullet journaling community for many reasons including quality, availability, sizes, and colors. They are a more quality notebook than grabbing a composition book off the shelf; however, the writing experience is superior and these notebooks can hold up to being tossed around in a bag. I have never had one fall apart or the binding get pulled from a traveler’s notebook cover string. Choosing your favorite color may be the hardest part of the process. Then, you get to focus on the fun of writing and creating on all of the pages.